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A briefThank youimplied he was very busy.
“I told your father we left the school and are going out for pizza. We’ll just stop by the house and pick up Grandma.”
“Why Grandma?” Mark blurted. “She won’t eat pizza with kids.”
“Where did you get that idea? Besides, I miss her. She’s my friend.”
She called Arlene. “Be ready, Grandma. We’re taking you for pizza on the beach.”
They left the school grounds, hopefully for the last time, and climbed into the car. Madison waited until the boys were safely buckled in the backseat and took off, heading to their house. They found Arlene waiting in front of the door.
“Hi, Arlene. Jump in next to me.”
She frowned. “What are the boys doing with you? How come they’re out of school at this hour?”
In the rearview mirror, Madison saw Mark cringe, and Michael stuffed his thumb in his mouth. Poor kids, they’d been really shaken.
“It’s a long story. They’ll tell you and their father all about it later.” She wanted to forget the morning’s drama as much as the children did.
She drove to a pizza restaurant on Ocean Drive and sat at a table on the sidewalk, overlooking the boardwalk and the beach. The waiter came to take their orders, a Bianca for Arlene and pepperoni pizza and sprite for everyone else.
The noon sunshine and the light breeze, carrying the scent of the ocean, relaxed everyone. The delicious pizza loaded with cheese restored the children’s good mood.
“Arlene, tell us stories about Rick when he was small,” Madison suggested, hoping to find a subject of common interest.
“The boys probably know their dad’s stories.”
“No, we don’t.” Mark shrugged. “He pretends he was always a good boy, smart, well-behaved, hard-working, athletic, and—”
Madison chuckled. “I’m sure he was all that, but he must’ve messed up from time to time.”
“Sure, he did,” Arlene said. “Like the time he climbed up a tree after the kitten he’d adopted. He was only five. No one saw him. He fell down and broke his leg.”
Michael’s eyes shone with interest. “Wow, he broke his leg? Poor Daddy. Was he in pain?”
“Oh, yes. He wore a cast for a month, and his friends drew funny designs on it.”
Both boys laughed. “That’s a good one. Any other stories, Grandma?”
Delighted, Arlene chuckled. “Let me think.” It was probably the first time she’d chatted with the boys this long. “There wasthe time he wanted to do surgery on his sister’s doll and ended up breaking her arms. Denise cried for hours, until their father fixed the doll.”
Michael nodded with satisfaction. “So Daddy was not an angel.”
“Are you saying bad things about your daddy?” Rick’s voice boomed behind them.
“Daddy’s here.” The boys jumped out of their places to hug him.
“Good to see you together.” He sighed with relief, kissed his mother’s cheek, and circled around the table coming to Madison.
She stood, hugged him, and quickly eased away.
He arched his eyebrows, sending her a questioning glance, and she frowned a warning.
“If you’re done eating, we can walk next door for ice cream, and then I’ll take you to see the boat I want to buy.”
“Yeah, yes, yes,” the boys squealed.
“Daddy, first what’s going to happen with the school?” Mark’s wobbling voice broke Madison’s heart.
